Brianna Labuskes explores union politics, gender and power dynamics, and the role of artists in society in her sweeping third historical novel, The Boxcar Librarian. Through the lives of three determined women whose paths cross in Montana during the Great Depression, Labuskes (The Lost Book of Bonn, The Librarian of Burned Books) examines the power of stories to move people, provide a balm for losses, and inspire a new way of living.
Labuskes begins her narrative in 1936 with Millie Lang, a Texan transplanted to Washington, D.C., and assigned to the Federal Writers' Project. Millie soon finds herself traveling to Montana to unravel a mystery: the FWP's Missoula staff submitted a box of blank forms and near-gibberish essays for the FWP's series of U.S. travel guides. When Millie meets the staff, who strike her as intelligent and thoughtful, she's convinced they're hiding something. But what?
Twelve years earlier, in 1924, Alice Monroe, sheltered daughter of Missoula's mayor, connects with Colette Durand, who has spent her life listening to her miner father, Claude, quote Shakespeare and fight for his fellow miners' rights. When Alice creates a library housed in a train boxcar to deliver books to workers and their families in Montana's far-flung mining camps, Colette applies for the position of librarian. Now orphaned, Colette has her own reasons--other than love of books--for taking the job. She convinces Alice to come along on the boxcar library's inaugural journey, which brings life-changing events for both women.
Labuskes paints a dynamic portrait of a rough-and-tumble Montana dominated by mining camps and the men who control them: the Anaconda Copper Mining Company pulls many of the strings in the state. But Labuskes's focus is on individuals: Millie's coworkers, including grumpy mystery writer Oscar and wry, wise secretary Flo; single mother Sofia Rossi, struggling to keep herself and her children afloat; and the boxcar library's patrons, many of whom haven't picked up a book in years. From fireside Shakespeare performances to adventure stories and even romance, Colette and Alice relish the chance to connect the miners and their families with books that stir the heart.
In 1936, Millie is eager to recover the missing travel guide material and possibly build a home for herself in this wild state. As she travels around Montana with her coworkers, Millie uncovers long-buried secrets related not only to Alice and Colette's stint as librarians, but to the work of unions and to Claude Durand's murder.
With engaging characters and a layered plot that combines political events, personal journeys, and a love of literature, The Boxcar Librarian is a treat for history fans and book lovers. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams
Shelf Talker: Brianna Labuskes's sweeping third historical novel weaves together libraries, union politics, and the lives of three determined women in Depression-era Montana.